Academy plans alternative Oscars

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has started making plans for an alternative Oscars in case no agreement can be made with the striking Writers Guild of America.

Academy President Sid Ganis revealed that the traditional glamorous awards bash may be replaced by a show made up of film clips and out-of-the-ordinary packages.

The Oscars are due to take place on February 24 and Ganis claimed that the Academy would provide an event irrespective of the strike status.

Ganis told the Associated Press: "We have an obligation to the art form to present the Oscars, so we have to deal with the possibility of not being able to do the show because of pickets or agreements not being concluded."

He explained that the Academy had begun production on two shows, one which they would "love to do", and one they "would prefer not to do".

Talking about the alternative show, he said the programme would feature "history and packages of film and concepts that are not normally ones that we would have for the show if we were moving straight ahead".

Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger added: "We have made contact with the guild. We want to be able to do the kind of Oscar show that we always do, and we want to create the circumstances that will allow us to do that."